ORMOC CITY-Five sachets containing white crystalline substances suspected to be shabu were recovered by joint operatives led by personnel from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the local Station Drug Enforcement Team of the local police from a former drug surrenderee in a buy-bust operation about 11:40 am Thursday (March 2) in Basey, Samar.

PDEA 8 Regional Director Atty. Gil Pabilona identified the arrested suspect as Jieman Anthony Ducducan, 35, and a resident of Barangay San Antonio where the operation took place.

Ducducan surrendered during the Oplan Tokhang in 2016 and is listed as a high-value target in the drug watch list personality of PDEA.

Recovered from his possession were four sachets of suspected shabu with a commercial value of P35,000 weighing five grams.

The suspect is now detained at the Basey lock-up jail and charged for violation of RA 9165, the Comprehensive Law against Illegal Drugs of 2002.
(ROBERT DEJON)

TACLOBAN CITY– The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has renewed the call for the public to be fire-conscious.

The call of the BFP is line of this month’s fire prevention observance.

C/Supt. Adel de Paz Bautista, BFP regional director, said that they alone cannot achieve a fire safe community.

Every individual, he stressed, must do their part and be responsible enough to eliminate from being victim of destructing fire occurrences.

This year’s observance carry a theme “Sa Pag-iwas sa Sunog, Hindi ka Nag iisa”.
Last Wednesday (March 1), the event started with a program held at Rizal Plaza with agencies, namely, the Philippine National Police- Highway Patrol Group, and Traffic Operation Management Enforcement and Control Office (Tomeco) participated.

Based on the BFP-8, record, there were 248 fire incidents across the region last year with a cost of damage reaching to P160.98 million.
(ELLA MAE M. RITA, LNU Student Intern)

In Leyte’s 3rd district

VILLABA, Leyte– Leyte Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon (3rd district) envisioned in bringing to her district things which are good for the people and to the environment.

Rep.Tuazon, who is a lawyer by profession, said that those programs which are being implemented and will be implemented are in line with the Philippine Development Plan, International Obligation on Climate Action, and on improving the livelihood in their district.
She also said that they want to implement the programs in an inclusive and sustainable way rooted in their culture because that will define and set them apart not just from other areas in Leyte but in other places in our country.

In implementing their programs and projects, particularly on the tourism aspect, they are partnering with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in order to secure the safety of the people in the district and the tourist who will visit their district.

In the third district of Leyte, Tuazon said that they have plenty of tourist attractions for tourists to visit.

Among these tourist destinations are the Buga-Buga Hill and old houses in Villaba; the waterpark and eco-park in Tabango; the ruins and watch tower in Leyte; the beautiful beachfront resorts, tropical lagoons, and hidden caves in Calubian; and the beautiful scenery in San Isidro.

When tourists want to have an overnight, Tuazon said, the local government units in the third district of Leyte has identified several accommodations.

Since the province is working for a local transport route plan, Veloso said that they reached out with the Department of Transportations and private sectors because they want to introduce electronic vehicles in their district to protect the environment.

“I want to integrate in the local transport route plan of the province, the promoting of the electronic vehicle because it is good for the people and good for our Mother Earth,” Veloso said.

“While waiting for the local transport route plan, I received a suggestion for the use of a shuttle bus from point to point, wherein tourists can visit tourist destinations,” the lawmaker added.

Veloso admitted that they still lack some tourism facilities but they are now making steps to have these facilities by talking with some investors who want to put up a business in the district.

She disclosed that she wants to meet with architects who are into developing heritage homes and to the owners of ancestral houses in the district.

Veloso also said that she already talked with officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
(RGLA/Contributor)

Manila—The United States government provided nearly P3.7 million ($66,500) in funding and technical assistance to support the launch of four digital platforms that help promote family planning and address teenage pregnancies in the Philippines.

As part of its ReachHealth program, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) formally introduced the four platforms during the Innovation Accelerator Impact Showcase held on February 21 in Makati City. These innovators are: CareGo EMR, which developed an SMS communication system to notify the public about free and available family planning, reproductive, and maternal health services; Edukasyon.ph, which developed Turn You On 2.0, a one-stop shop for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education for Filipino Gen Z youth; FriendlyCare Foundation, which developed the e-Plano App to provide easy access to family planning methods through digital booking, education, and consultation; and Yaka.ph, a digital baby book and online community for mothers and families seeking more information on pregnancy and postpartum family planning.

With the assistance of Villgro Philippines and the Duke University Global Health Innovation Center, the four developers received six months of intensive support that prepared their respective applications for market release. Following their formal launch, these platforms may be used by local governments and government health agencies to promote family planning resources and services for the public.

Each platform is aligned with the priorities of the Department of Health (DOH), the Commission on Population and Development, and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to provide more reliable, affordable, and accessible family planning commodities and services.

“We are happy to see the innovation ecosystem in the Philippines starting to engage in family planning and adolescent reproductive health issues,” said USAID Philippines Office of Health Director Michelle Lang-Alli. “USAID is committed to helping countries meet the family planning and reproductive health needs of their people. “

For her part, Philippines DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Beverly Ho encouraged innovators to bravely pursue and scale up their family planning solutions. “We are talking about 60 percent of 110 million Filipinos who are not be able to pay for services on their own, so we have to find ways to work on that,” she said. “This is why it is important for us to come together and build connections so that we can know who is doing what and support each other.”(PR)